Maybe there was a reason the Los Angeles Rams kept quiet about Todd Gurley all offseason. Gurley saw a reduced workload during Sunday’s win against the Carolina Panthers.

The 25-year-old Gurley finished the game with 14 carries and 97 yards. He also had a catch for four yards. That was a far cry from 2018, when Gurley averaged 22.5 touches in his 14 starts.

For a while, Gurley wasn’t even the Rams’ top option at running back Sunday. Malcolm Brown had more carries and more yards than Gurley until the fourth quarter, and also stole two early touchdowns from Gurley. Brown finished with 11 carries and 53 yards against the Panthers.

Gurley came into the season as a major question mark after a knee injury limited his production down the stretch in 2018. He had just 10 carries in the Rams’ Super Bowl LIII loss to the New England Patriots.

The Rams didn’t answer any of those questions in the offseason. Gurley didn’t play a single snap for the Rams in the preseason.

Gurley may not have received his usual workload, but it didn’t matter as the Rams still went on to win 30-27. And while Gurley may have started the game slowly, he was a huge factor late in the game, closing out the victory with some key runs in the fourth quarter.

Gurley may not have received the workload many fantasy players wished for, but the strategy worked well for the Rams.